


Arc Two: Canon Rewritten (Season One)

by OKKO_AdvRewritten



Series: OK K.O.! Adventures Rewritten [2]
Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:28:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27185882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OKKO_AdvRewritten/pseuds/OKKO_AdvRewritten
Summary: Welcome to the second part of Adventures Rewritten! This story follows the canon show and will feature mainly plot-important episodes as well as some made-up ones for the new characters. I hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Enid/Original Female Character(s)
Series: OK K.O.! Adventures Rewritten [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984738
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Let’s Be Heroes!

“Hmm...Mr. Gar’s level 11, so he’s way past Sparko’s level 3. But Sparko has that really cool power move, so-“

“Ready to go, K.O.?”

K.O.’s muttered thoughts were interrupted as he heard his mom speak, looking over his binder of POW cards to see her sitting down in the driver’s seat of the van. 

“Oh, yeah mom!” He replied cheerfully. Carol buckled herself in, making sure everything was set before looking back at him with a soft smile.

“I know coming to work with your mom isn’t too cool for a boy your age.” She said. “But I need Skylar’s help at the dojo today, and I can’t leave you on your own.”

“But mom, you’re like the toughest trainer there is!” K.O. argued. “How could you need anyone’s help?”

“Eh, consider it more of helping Skylar train to be a teacher.” Carol replied, waving off the question as she focused more on getting ready to drive.

“Oh. Okay!” K.O. seemed happy with that response, much to Carol’s relief. She quickly put the keys in the ignition, glancing back over her shoulder at her son.

“Now we better get going before she starts wondering where we are.” She said. “Destination, K.O.?”

“Lakewood Plaza Turbo!” K.O. cried in excitement, hearing the van’s engine roar to life. The squeal of tires soon followed as they raced off down the street, heading out of the small neighbourhood and over to the plaza. Many different heroes and creatures flew by as they pulled in to the parking lot, and K.O. found himself staring in awe at them.

“Oh! Can’t get distracted.” He said, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to his POW cards. “I gotta brush up on my facts in case I meet some real heroes!” Carol looked over at him through her rear view mirror, adjusting it slightly to see him better.

“Y’know, if you train hard enough, K.O., you can be one, too.” She told him. The young boy glanced up at her, lowering his binder onto his lap.

“You’re just saying that ‘cause you’re my mom.” He replied in a sadder tone. Carol laughed.

“Hah! Maybe so.” She admitted. “But remember this, K.O.; you don’t start out as a hero, you become one.” K.O.’s eyes lit up at her words, a new fire burning in his heart. 

“I can become a hero?” He said in awe. His mind started racing with thoughts and questions, wondering where he’d even begin and how he would become a hero. 

_‘Will I wake up as a hero one day?’_ He thought. _‘Do I get a cool transformation sequence? Or maybe I just need a change of clothes. Or maybe I need...’_ he turned to his binder for answers, looking at Mr. Gar’s POW card with narrowed eyes. All he was wearing was a pink tie, a pair of pants, black shoes, and blue sunglasses.

 _‘...Less clothes?’_ He questioned. It seemed weird, but he was willing to do just about anything to become a great hero.

“Everyone in that binder of yours came from humble beginnings, K.O.” Carol spoke up as she parked the car and got out. “I mean, even Mr. Gar had to work hard to become the hero he is today.” 

“I don’t know about that.” K.O. argued, hopping out after her. “I bet he was always level 11.”

“Mm, not when I first met him.” Carol told him, turning and heading for the dojo. K.O. stared up at her in surprise.

“You know Mr. Gar?” He asked, trotting after her. Carol didn’t even look back.

“Of course!” She replied. “He runs the whole plaza. It’s kind of hard to miss him.” Her gaze soon turned up and she stopped walking, noticing a faint black dot in the bright yellow sky.

“Look, there he is now.” She added. K.O. turned to look up, gasping as he saw the speck as well. It grew closer and closer until he could see it was a car, flying down from the sky using jets of fire. It dove toward the parking lot, stopping just above the ground before it landed and caused the pavement to crack. The force kicked up clouds of dust that made K.O. cover his eyes, but he soon looked back to see the roof of the car get kicked off and Mr. Gar leaping out of it. The sun gleamed off of his glasses, his stance tall and proud. To K.O., he looked like a true hero.

“Employees!” He hollered. At his call, two young adults, both wearing matching blue crop tops, came rushing over and stood at attention before him. One was a woman with bright purple hair, while the other was a tall man with blue skin and large muscles.

“Yes sir, Mr. Gar, sir!” They cried in unison.

“We’ve got a stack of last months magazines to throw out!” Mr. Gar told them. K.O.’s eyes twinkled with admiration as he watched him, not quite picking up on what he was saying anymore.

 _‘He’s so cool!’_ He thought excitedly. He zoned back in just as the two employees raced off, going to do some kind of work that Mr. Gar had given them. Whatever it was, K.O. was sure it had to be important hero stuff.

“Mondays, am I right?” Mr. Gar muttered to himself, not realizing K.O. and Carol were standing there.

“Morning, Gar!” Carol called to him cheerfully. Mr. Gar froze at her voice, almost like he turned to stone.

“Oh, uh, morning, Carol.” He said, his tone seeming to falter. “And, uh, Carol’s offspring.” K.O. waved happily at him before Carol started walking away, prompting the small boy to follow her.

“It was nice to meet you!” He called back, a new skip in his step from the encounter. “Wow, maybe if I hang around here long enough, Mr. Gar’s hero-ness will rub off on me.”

“Eh, you could try that.” Carol said. “But I’d rather stick to the classic methods.” The two were now standing outside the dojo door, which ended up opening for them as Skylar poked her head out and smiled.

“Hey, Carol! Hey, K.O.!” She said happily. “The ladies were wondering when you’d be arriving!”

“Skylar!” K.O. cried, rushing and leaping up to greet his unofficial sister. Skylar was quick to catch him, pulling him into a hug as she chuckled. Her hair was still in a pixie cut, her outfit the same crop top, skirt, and leggings from when she had decided to change things up a few years ago. K.O. loved hearing the story about it, though Skylar always seemed to get nervous when talking about the cashier girl.

“Hey there, Skylar!” Carol greeted her. “Get a good sleep last night?”

“Sure did!” Skylar replied, holding the door open for her. “Can’t help my mentor if I don’t sleep well now, can I?” Carol chuckled as she walked in past Skylar, who followed behind with K.O. in her arms. As they entered the dojo, K.O. was met with three older women waiting, all of them looking right at him with bright smiles.

“Carol! Don’t tell me that’s your boy!” One of the women said. Skylar set him down with a smile, allowing the women to fawn over him.

“K.O., you remember Gertie, Ginger, and Gladys, don’t you?” Carol said, moving past them as Gertie picked him up in a hug. 

“Of course!” K.O. replied as the three women doted on him. “How could I forget my mom’s best students?” They all laughed at his words, though Skylar folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, what about me?” She piped up in a mock-offended tone. K.O. turned his gaze to her as Gertie put him down, but Carol had already stepped in. 

“I don’t think you’re much of a student anymore, Skylar.” She said with a small smirk. “You’ve been here long enough that I don’t know what else I could teach ya.” Skylar looked at her with a sheepish expression, shrugging her shoulders.

“Yeah, but it still feels nice to be included.” She admitted. 

“Don’t worry, Skylar!” K.O. called. “I always include you because you’re practically a hero already!” This comment made Skylar feel much better, giving him a warm smile and a thumbs up.

“And guess what!” He continued, turning his attention to all of them. “I’m going to become a hero, too!” Gertie, Ginger, and Gladys all found him adorable, not noticing that Carol had finished setting everything up for their lessons.

“Okay, we’re set to begin, class!” She called, though none of them seemed to notice as they were too focused on K.O.

“Class!” She tried again, still not getting a response. Skylar looked at her with a sympathetic smile.

“You want me to get K.O. out of here?” She asked, keeping her voice low. Carol shook her head.

“Nah, I got this.” She replied, walking over to the planks she had set up. K.O. was happily bouncing around, eating up the attention when a loud ‘CRACK’ made them all turn to see that Carol had punched the planks into dust.

“Oh no! My last planks! Darn it.” She said, faking a frustrated tone. “K.O., I’m gonna need you to run down to the bodega and fetch me some more planks.” She walked up to him with her credit card in hand, gently pushing him toward the door.

“A-And get a little something for yourself!” She added as she handed him the card. Skylar merely watched the scene with a knowing smirk on her face.

“Okay!” K.O. replied, smiling as Carol pushed him out the door. He stumbled and fell on his butt as she closed it behind him, though the small boy hardly noticed. He leapt to his feet, looking at the credit card in his hand as if it were a great prize.

“My first heroic quest!” He said excitedly. “You picked the right hero for the job, mommy!” He skipped on down to the bodega, stopping outside as he saw several people gathered around the store.

“Whoa! So many heroes!” He said in awe. He noticed a few in particular, hurriedly pulling out his binder full of POW cards.

“Sparko, Shy Ninja, Nick Army and Joff the Shaolin Monk!” He listed as he saw them, looking over each of their POW cards. Shy Ninja vanished at the mention of her name, but the others seemed unbothered as they were caught up in their own activities and conversations. Despite being in such a casual setting, K.O. felt as if he had stepped into a hero’s paradise and was now walking among the greatest people in the world.

“This is the most beautiful day of my life.” He whispered to himself, his eyes sparkling before he let out an excited laugh and raced up to the front of the bodega. He stopped as he noticed a sign on one of the doors, taking a moment to look it over.

“Everything you need to be a hero.” He read aloud. “This is it. This is how I become a hero!” He walked up to the bodega doors, which let out a soft ‘ding’ and opened for him. With a bright smile, he ran in and started bouncing through the store, snagging a basket as he searched for what he wanted. 

“Laser sword! Flame gauntlets! Bottom towel!” He cried as he excitedly grabbed each item. made a bit of a mess as he tossed the items in his basket, walking proudly before he suddenly slipped and fell over. One of the boots he had picked up landed on his head, squishing his hair and covering his eyes. He heard footsteps approach right after and he looked up to see that someone had stopped in front of him. It was the tall blue man from earlier, still wearing the same crop top and looking rather annoyed.

“Oh great.” He groaned. “I spent the last four hours pretending to clean the store, and now I gotta do it for real?” K.O. didn’t even take notice of his tone, being focused on his name tag instead.

“Oh, hi there, Rad.” He said as he read it. “What a rad name!” Rad let out a small scoff, kneeling down as started to clean up the stuff K.O. had dropped.

“Yeah, it’s short for Radicles.” He told him. “Back on my home planet, it’s a really cool and rare name, too.”

“Whoa!” K.O. exclaimed. “You’re an alien?” Rad laughed with a smug look on his face, getting back to his feet.

“Hah, yeah.” He replied simply, offering a hand to the small boy. K.O. took it and got to his feet as well, smiling brightly at him. 

“I’m K.O.!” He introduced himself. “Say, um, can you show me where the lightning nachos are?” Rad nodded and led K.O. over to the nachos, handing him back his basket as he grabbed a paper bowl and filled it with chips for him.

“That’s a lot of gear you got, kid.” He said, gesturing to the basket. K.O. looked down at it for a moment, subconsciously making sure he had everything.

“Yeah, it’s gonna help me become a hero!” He said proudly. Rad raised an eyebrow.

“So, you’re choosing the path of a hero, huh?” He said as he topped the chips in lightning dip. “I’m pretty heroic myself. Level 2, if you must know.” He ended up taking a chip out of the bowl, munching on it and sending a small shock of electricity through his body.

“Well, anyway, thanks for your help, Rad.” K.O. piped up, taking the bowl of chips from him. “I better check out-“

“Oh, so you need photographic evidence of my righteous feats?” Rad interrupted, not letting him leave just yet. K.O. stepped back in surprise.

“Oh, not now, I believe you-“ K.O. tried again, but a different voice cut him off.

“Oh, leave him alone, Rad. He’s just a kid looking to get some toys and snacks.” 

Both Rad and K.O. turned to see a girl standing there, dressed in a black turtleneck tank top, army pants, and brown combat boots. What really stood out to K.O., though, was the fact her hair was made of red hot fire. 

“Hey! I remember you!” He blurted. Both the teen and Rad gave him confused looks.

“Wait, you do?” She asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah! You were the girl that Skylar saved from the rainstorm!” K.O. replied. “Your name’s Sam, right?” Sam looked extremely concerned for a moment before her memory clicked.

“Ohhh, you’re the kid she was watching, aren’t you?” She guessed, her body relaxing. “I kinda forgot you were there. She still hangs around here, yeah?” 

“Yeah!” K.O. chirped in reply, not even fazed by Sam’s words. “She actually helps my mom out at the dojo now!”

“Wait, who?” Rad chimed in, looking confused. Sam raised an eyebrow at him. 

“You know the chick with the purple pixie cut?” She described for him. “Blue skirt, lavender crop top, water powers?”

“Huh?” Rad only got more confused, having no idea who Sam was talking about.

“Dude, she’s been at the plaza for longer than you have.” Sam deadpanned. “How do you not know her?” 

“Psh, a man of my status simply can’t keep track of _everyone_ at the plaza.” He scoffed, putting on a high-and-mighty tone. Sam merely rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, I should really check out now.” K.O. piped up, grabbing his basket of items. “Thanks again for your help! I’ll see you guys later!”

“Uh, see ya.” Sam replied awkwardly, watching as K.O. walked past them and over to the cash register. There were two other people in line, and behind the counter was the purple-haired girl K.O. had seen earlier with Rad. She was scanning some cans and tossing them into a bag, looking as bored as ever.

“That’ll be 20 technos.” She said to the customer, holding out a hand and taking the money. “Have a...day.” The customer took the bag and left, allowing the next person in line to step up.

“Welcome to Gar’s, how can I-“ She started, but the customer interrupted her.

“Do you have any gum?!” He yelled. The cashier let out a long sigh, not even bothering to gesture to the many stacks of gum around her.

“Yes.” She replied flatly. The man didn’t even blink.

“Oh. Okay.” He said at last, turning and walking off. The cashier girl waited until he was gone before letting out a loud groan, flopping forward onto the counter in frustration. K.O. didn’t seem to understand the body language, walking up to her with a bright smile.

“Hi there! My name’s K.O.” He greeted, setting his stuff down to shake her hand. “How are you?” The girl looked up at him from the counter, glaring in annoyance before realizing he was a kid.

“Uh, Enid.” She replied. “And uh, well, I’m here.”

“Yeah, here!” K.O. said enthusiastically. “It’s got to be so much fun coming here every day!” Enid tilted her head at him with narrowed eyes.

“I take it you’ve never worked in customer service.” She guessed. K.O. shook his head.

“Nope, I’m a little kid!” He replied. “But I can imagine it; rubbing elbows with the bravest and toughest heroes...” he sighed, “...you must be exhausted from all that making a difference.” Enid’s expression softened at his words, the faintest smile appearing on her face.

“Yeah, that’s it.” She said, choosing to play along. 

“You know, once I buy this stuff, I’ll be a hero myself.” K.O. said, putting the basket on the counter so Enid could scan the items. “My mon’s gonna be so proud of me.” 

“Hopefully proud enough to foot the huge bill you just racked up.” Enid said as she finished scanning, looking over the price. K.O. didn’t even flinch.

“Oh, right.” He said simply. “The pin is my birthday!” He enthusiastically swiped the card through the slot, typing in the pin code and getting an approving ‘beep’ in reply. Enid handed him the bag, watching him jump around in excitement with a small smile.

“Heh, congrats, kid.” She said. K.O. turned to her with an excited grin.

“Thanks, Enid! I’ll see you around!” He said, soon running off. Enid waved back as she watched him leave.

“Bye.” She called after him. “Have a... _nice_ day.” K.O. headed over to the doors, taking the various items he had bought and putting them on. Boots, gauntlets, sword, and a towel cape, holding his bowl of lightning nachos in one hand.

 _‘After minutes of hard work and dedication, I achieved my dream.’_ He thought proudly. _‘I am a hero!’_ He moved to exit the bodega, but before he could leave, the doors shut in front of him. Taking a step back, he waved his arms at the sensor, making the doors open again with a ‘ding.’ He marched out into the parking lot, standing proudly with his hands on his hips.

“Everything is coming up K.O.!” He cried.

_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** _

The sudden alarm sent the plaza into uproar. Many people started running for cover, most of them screaming in fear.

“It’s the Boxman!” One of them shouted, fleeing the scene right after. Red flashing lights went off around the plaza, with steel barricades coming down over every window. Back in the dojo, the lesson came to a halt as all five women turned their attention to the alarm.

“Oh, another Boxbot.” Skylar said casually, having heard the sound many times before. “Eh, Rad and Enid’ll have it covered.”

“You sure you don’t want to go help?” Carol asked, raising an eyebrow. Skylar shook her head.

“Nah, I’ve fought enough of them.” She replied. “I could take K.O. to-wait, K.O.!” The hybrid leapt to her feet as she realized the small boy wasn’t present, turning on her heel and racing out the door. Out in the parking lot, K.O. and many others watched as a large purple vortex opened in the clouds, sending a box crashing into the concrete. Dust clouds billowed up from the impact, but as they settled, the box fell open to reveal a bright red, one-eyed robot inside.

“I am Darrell!” He announced. “And I’ve come to destroy!” He let out an evil laugh as one of his hands turned into a laser cannon, shooting blasts randomly across the plaza. The shots exploded on impact, scattering debris and making everyone outside run away. Everyone except K.O., of course.

“Hi, Darrell!” He called, waving. “I’m K.O.! Nice to-aah!” He ducked as a blast went right over his head, hitting the barricade on the door behind him. 

“That’s right!” Darrell cried as he kept blasting. “Run away, Lakewood losers!” Seconds after, the bodega doors opened and Rad and Enid stepped out. Enid looked ready to fight, but Rad just looked annoyed.

“Ugh, another Boxman robot.” He groaned.

“K.O., don’t wave at him!” Enid shouted over the noise. “He’s evil, and a total nerd!”

“Evil?” K.O. echoed, his tone and expression growing serious. “I have to do something!”

“Whoa, hold up.” Enid spoke up again, getting his attention. “You don’t stand a chance against that thing.”

“I think he’s got it.” Rad piped up. Enid looked at him in disbelief.

“What, you think K.O. can beat him?” She questioned, making sure she heard him right.

“Huh? Oh, no no no, I meant _Darrell’s_ got it.” Rad explained, letting out a chuckle. “That kid’s gonna get wrecked.”

“Don’t let appearances fool you.” K.O. told them, not letting their words get to him. “Witness the power of a true hero!” He slammed his fists together, using the boots he bought to launch himself up and toward the robot.

“Huh? What the-?” Darrell looked up at him, clenching his fist and making spikes appear on his knuckles. He whirled around to punch K.O. away, causing their fists to connect mid-swing.

“Ha! Not bad!” Darrell said as K.O. jumped back. “Where’d you get those sweet threads, the convenience store?” He readied his cannon arm again, pointing it right at the young hero.

“Yes! In fact, I did!” K.O. replied, not taking the insult. “And I got this, too!” He pulled out the laser sword and charged, avoiding the blasts that Darrell fired at him. He leapt into the air as one came right for him, and swinging the blade around, he knocked the shot right back and caused Darrell’s cannon arm to explode.

“Grrah! No way!” Darrell cried, shaking in anger. K.O. landed and sheathed his sword, standing up to him with a confident gleam in his eyes.

“You were wrong to underestimate the power of a hero, Darrell!” He said boldly. He rushed up to attack again, preparing to strike him down with a mighty power fist.

_“K.O.! K.O., come on! Wake up!”_

The fight stopped and faded to black as K.O. groaned, his body suddenly feeling very heavy. His head was pounding, and as he looked up, he was met with Skylar holding him protectively in her arms. Looking over her shoulder was a skeleton man, who K.O. recognized as Real Magic Skeleton.

“Skylar?” He said in confusion. “W-What happened?” Skylar immediately looked away from him, a guilty expression on her face as she tried to figure out how to explain. 

“Oh, well, uh-“ she began, “-you, er...you see Darrell over there?” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder, causing K.O. to look and see Darrell, still perfectly intact, fighting against Rad and Enid.

“Well, you tried to block his punch, but he ended up knocking your gauntlets into your face.” Skylar continued. “You then proceeded to stumble back, tripped on your tow-erm, cape, fell butt-first into your lightning nachos and got zapped into the wall.”

“It was actually pretty funny.” R.M.S. piped up. Skylar shot him a glare that made his bones rattle. K.O. didn’t even notice, his mind still processing Skylar’s words.

“That...that’s what really happened..?” He said at last, sounding disappointed. “I...can’t believe it...”

“Aw, I’m sorry, K.O.” Skylar apologized, giving him a sympathetic look. “But hey, you have it your best shot, right?” 

“What does it matter?” He said glumly. “That fight felt so intense, but it wasn’t real. I thought I had become a hero, but all I did was wear stuff and get my butt kicked. I’m not even close to being like you.” Skylar frowned at his words, having never seen K.O. look so upset.

“K.O., you shouldn’t-“

“RAD!” 

Before Skylar could finish, she and K.O. looked up to see Enid crouched over Rad, who was knocked out cold on the concrete. 

“Get off the ground, you stupid meatloaf!” Enid yelled at him, shaking his body. Darrell laughed evilly and pointed his cannon at the both of them, ready to blast them to bits.

“Looks like that’s my cue.” Skylar said as she got to her feet. Before she could move in, however, a loud whistle sounded from above that made both her and Enid look up. Mr. Gar had somehow appeared in the clouds, his eyes locked on Darrell.

“Oh, never mind.” Skylar relaxed and watched, seeing Darrell turn his head to the sky. Mr. Gar launched himself out of the clouds, rocketing toward the ground at record speed. He soon moved into his signature elbow drop, landing right on Darrell and causing an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Darrell’s head had popped off, clattering on the concrete next to his body. He rolled slightly to look at Mr. Gar, who walked up and kicked the head out of the parking lot and back over to Boxmore.

“AAAaaahhhh!” Darrell screamed as he went flying, the sound fading to silence after. As Rad regained consciousness, Enid picked him up and the two of them walked over to Mr. Gar’s side.

“You two, get this mess cleaned up.” He ordered. Rad and Enid both jumped to attention, bowing their heads.

“Yes, sir!” They said in unison. Mr. Gar turned on his heel after that, walking off with his usual proud stature.

“Mondays, am I right?” He mumbled. Both Rad and Enid watched him go, with Rad having a bewildered expression.

“Man, Mr. Gar’s pretty cool, but like, how did he even get up there?” He asked. 

“He’s level 11, dude.” Enid replied, handing him one of the brooms she had picked up. “Come on.” Skylar merely rolled her eyes at the antics, looking back at K.O. with a soft smile. The boy was watching Mr. Gar carefully, and it wasn’t hard to tell he had something running through his mind.

“What’cha thinking about, buddy?” She asked. K.O. snapped out of his trance and looked up at her.

“Oh, well,” he started, getting to his feet, “I was actually wondering about all the ways I could become a hero; if I wake up as one or transform into one, but I don’t think that’s it anymore.” Skylar raised an eyebrow, but her smile never faltered.

“So what do you think it is now?” She questioned.

“I realize now that I can’t be a hero right away.” K.O. replied. “So, I wanna learn here, at Lakewood Plaza Turbo, one step at a time.” Skylar chuckled and ruffled his hair, giving him a supportive smile.

“That’s the spirit.” She said encouragingly. Rad and Enid watched them from afar as they cleaned up, stopping their sweeping for a moment.

“Heh, at least there’s someone else to distract that kid.” Rad commented, turning his gaze to Enid. Enid glanced between him and the other two, the smallest smile appearing on her face.

“I don’t know,” she replied, “I could get used to him.”


	2. Let’s Be Friends!

After the hype of the battle settled, Skylar and K.O. made their way over to Rad and Enid, who were still working to clean up the debris. K.O. had returned to his excited self, while Skylar merely sat back and watched.

“Wowee! I can’t believe-! A-And did you see-?” K.O. barely finished a sentence, his past beat down forgotten as all he could think about was how heroic Mr. Gar was. Skylar couldn’t help but smile at it.

“Glad to see your pride’s still intact, K.O.” She said, folding her arms. K.O. grinned, enthusiastically punching the air.

“When I’m a hero, I’m gonna be just like Mr. Gar!” He declared. Enid chuckled at his words, stopping her sweeping for a moment.

“There’s a lot more to being a hero than just fancy moves, kid.” She told him. “It takes hard work. This right here is us training under Mr. Gar to become great heroes.” K.O. looked between Enid and Rad in awe, not noticing Skylar’s eye roll.

“Whoa! So you guys are training by just, like, cleaning up garbage?” He said. “Well, I can do that! I _must_ do that!”

“Well, there is more than one way to-“ Skylar tried, but he ended up being interrupted.

“Uh, we don’t just clean up garbage, kid.” Rad butt in, shoving the last pieces of Darrell into the trash. “We also fight evil robots sometimes.”

“Ooh, sometimes.” K.O. echoed, though his expression quickly became confused. “But wait, that means more than one times. How can there even be so many robots?” Skylar raised an eyebrow, walking over and stopping next to him.

“K.O., you remember the story I told you of my first day here, right?” She asked. K.O. looked up at her and nodded.

“Well, those robots and this Darrell all came from the same place.” Skylar explained. “A big, dumb nerd got himself a big, dumb factory and has now spent years wasting time and money sending robots to attack the plaza.” 

“Dumb nerd? Dumb nerd?!” K.O. echoed loudly, jumping up and grabbing Skylar’s shoulders. “What dumb nerd?!” 

“Lord Buttman.” Rad said in an ominous tone, narrowing his eyes. K.O. looked over at him before mimicking his serious expression.

“Of course. The Buttman.” He said in a fake deep voice. Both Skylar and Enid cast glances at each other.

“Actually, it’s Lord _Box_ man.” Enid corrected, walking up and plucking K.O. off of Skylar. “And are you seriously trying to say you never noticed the giant evil factory across the street?” K.O. turned his gaze across the street, seeing the looming factory and going wide-eyed.

“Whaaaaaat?!” He exclaimed, feeling like his mind had been blown. Skylar, Enid, and Rad couldn’t help but laugh, but all the way across the street, someone was very much not amused. Lord Boxman growled as he watched them through the blinds, a feeling of disgust churning in his stomach.

“Gross.” He mumbled, sitting back down at his desk. He folded his hands as he waited, and soon enough, Darrell’s disembodied head came crashing through the window and landed next to him. Despite being a severed head, the bot kept a calm attitude as he rolled to look at Lord Boxman.

“Oh, hey, dad.” He said casually. “I’m back.” 

“And?” Boxman said expectantly. Darrell’s face dropped.

“And I failed you.” He mumbled in defeat. Boxman impatiently stood up from his desk.

“No, you _failed_ me!” He snapped, grabbing the head and walking out of his office. He entered the main factory, which was alive with the activity of building more robots. Dozens of other Darrells were being put together, but Lord Boxman paid them no mind as he focused on the Darrell head in his hand.

“Darrell, do you know why I send you robots over to destroy Lakewood Plaza?” He said. Darrell remained quiet, knowing that he wasn’t expecting an answer.

“To eliminate friendship!” Boxman continued angrily. “Lakewood Plaza is _crawling_ with friendship. First it was just that weird water girl, but now there’s even more of them!” He marched past another section of the factory, not paying notice to the other Darrells being built.

“Hey look, more me’s.” The Darrell head piped up. Boxman glared at him, silencing him quickly.

“You see, Darrell-“ he went to continue, only to be interrupted by something else. A large, round, purple robot came over, moving to keep pace with the angry villain.

“If I could have just a sliver of your time, Lord Boxman.” He said. “A client, uh, just called-“

“Ernesto 2199,” Boxman cut him off, “can you not see that I’m trying to focus on getting upset about some kids across the street having fun?!” Before Ernesto could even respond, Boxman pulled a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button, causing the bot’s head to explode. The body lost its’ footing, falling off the side of the walkway and vanishing into the darkness below. Without even glancing back, Boxman kept moving, passing through the main factory and back into the financial department. There were two other Ernestos standing and chatting next to a water dispenser, except instead of water, it was filled with oil.

“I hate people enjoying each other.” Boxman growled, not noticing the two Ernesto robots scramble back to their desks. “When people enjoy each other, they don’t buy evil fighting robots.” He moved on into the next room, which looked like a mix of a break room and a meeting office. On the wall was a large display board, which currently had a graph chart pulled up on it. 

“This is a graph of our sales.” Lord Boxman explained.

“Ooh, math!” Darrell chirped. Boxman simply ignored him.

“Now, let’s see what happens when we introduce friendship to the equation.” He said, taking out the same remote and pressing another button. All at once, the graph’s numbers dropped to zero. 

“See? Friendship lowers our graphs!” He cried angrily, holding Darrell’s head up to look him in the eye. “Besides, it’s just plain disgusting.” He lowered Darrell’s head back to his side as he carried him over to a door, opening it and stepping into a darker room. The only thing present was a coal furnace, burning intensely as Boxman opened the door and held Darrell’s head up to see.

“Hey cool, fire.” Darrell said, looking into the flames. “Is this supposed to teach me, like, how friendship makes you feel?”

“No.” Boxman replied darkly. “It’s supposed to teach you never to fail me again.” Without warning, he tossed the head into the furnace, slamming the door shut behind him. The flames rose up around Darrell, heating and slowly melting his metal skin.

“I deserve this.” He mumbled, not even struggling as he was turned into a molten puddle. Outside of the furnace, however, Lord Boxman stood in wait as a large mechanical claw brought in a new, fully-assembled Darrell.

“Yeah, I deserved that.” He admitted, seemingly unfazed by the fact he had just been melted. “But I won’t fail you next time, boss!” 

“Silence.” Boxman said flatly, waving him off as he left the room and headed back to his office. He took a seat in his chair, a scowl on his face as he peered through the blinds at the plaza again.

“Ooh, those rotten kids.” He growled. “Still alive...grr, I just-graah!” His frustration turned into incoherent cries of anger, soon quieting as a ‘ding’ sounded next to him and a mechanical trapdoor opened.

“Never send a 1.0 robot to do a 2.0’s job, dad.” A feminine voice spoke as a figure stepped through. It was soon revealed to be Shannon, who leapt out with sawblades spinning, using them like roller skates before stopping in front of Lord Boxman.

“Ah, Shannon,” he said as she retracted her sawblades, “my spoiled teenage daughter. Do you have a plan?”

“Of course.” Shannon replied, chuckling evilly.

“Then go succeed where your brother Darrell failed and ruin those rotten kids!” Boxman snapped, slamming his fist on the arm of his chair.

“Trust me,” Shannon replied, already heading for the door, “they won’t even know what hit ‘em.”

Back at the bodega, Rad and Enid had returned to their usual work, though K.O. hung around to watch. Skylar had followed them in as well, though it was more to keep an eye on K.O. and make sure he didn’t get hurt.

“So, can I hang out with you guys and be friends?” He asked over Rad’s shoulder as he unpacked a box. “Then I can work hard to become a great hero, too.” Rad brushed him off as he kept unboxing products, taking some out to start putting them on shelves.

“Kid, you can’t just hang out here.” He told him. Skylar furrowed her brow at him, not quite liking his tone.

“But you guys do.” K.O. replied, still watching him.

“That’s ‘cause it’s our job.” Rad said over his shoulder, continuing to shelve items. 

“Ohhh.” K.O. said in realization. “Then, can I have a job, too?”

“Not just anyone can work here.” Rad told him, turning around to actually look at him. “You gotta have mad skills, like this.” He pointed at a shelf of cereal boxes, a beam of pink energy shooting out from his fingertip and enveloping them. A small broccoli man ended up caught in the crossfire, however Rad didn’t notice as he pulled back and yanked all the cereal right off the shelves. The beam carried them over to another shelf and stacked them in a pyramid, however the force and sudden stop caused the broccoli man to crash straight through the ceiling. 

“See?” Rad said confidently, blowing away the smoke that was somehow stemming from his fingertip. 

“That was beautiful.” K.O. said in admiration, stars gleaming in his eyes. Skylar let out a sigh, finally deciding to step in.

“Beautiful as it may have been, you launched Colewort through the ceiling again.” She deadpanned, crossing her arms. “You know there’s more to having skills than what you can throw around, right?” Rad looked at her with an annoyed expression.

“Uh, shouldn’t you be back at the dojo or something?” He said, crossing his arms. Skylar gained a small smirk.

“Well, yes,” she replied, “but while that’s one of my jobs, the other is keeping watch over this little guy.” She patted K.O. on the head, who smiled happily. “So, as long as he’s here, I’m here.” Rad huffed, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, well, let’s see you do better.” He challenged. Skylar’s smirk only grew.

“I thought you’d never ask.” She said. Bringing her arms up in front of her, she took a deep breath before the faint sound of rumbling could be heard. Around her feet, water rose through the cracks in the floor, turning into a large ball as she circled her hands and gathered it up.

“Watch and learn.” She told them, pausing for a second before quickly extending her hands. The water proceeded to hit the floor, shooting out and reaching every corner of the bodega before Skylar called it back. Both Rad and K.O. watched as the water returned, stopping in front of Skylar and changing shape into what looked like a statue of herself posing with her hands on her hips. Once the shape was clear, she snapped her fingers, causing the water to solidify into ice.

“And that, K.O.,” she said smugly, mimicking the statue’s pose, “is _real_ skill.” Both K.O. and Rad looked at the floor to see it was sparkling clean, meaning Skylar had managed to mop up the entire floor of the bodega in five seconds flat. 

“Whoa!” K.O. cried in awe, leaning down and seeing his own reflection. “It’s so clean!” Rad was at a loss for words, but K.O.’s statement made him snap out of it as he tried to recover.

“Well, uh, I-I could totally do that if-” he started, only to be cut off.

“Rad!” Enid called from the front counter. “Magazines. Restock them.” Rad sputtered for a moment before he grumbled and headed over to the magazines, leaving Skylar and K.O. alone in the aisle. K.O. decided to head up to the front counter, where Enid was lounging and looking bored as ever.

“Hi, Enid!” He said happily. “I would like a job here, please.” 

“K.O., you do not want to spend your days looking at all this.” Enid told him, gesturing to the bodega around her. Skylar came out of the aisle K.O. had been in before, walking up and leaning against the register next to the cashier.

“Yeah I do.” K.O. chirped, grabbing the counter and shaking himself. “I can help. I can do anything!” Enid’s expression changed and she gained a small smirk.

“Oh, anything, huh?” She said slyly. “How about this?” Without even getting up, she kicked her leg out and shot a flaming fireball from her boot. It bounced off the floor and ceiling, hitting a display of sunglasses and sending one of the pairs flying. It soared across the bodega, soon landing perfectly on Enid’s face as she leaned back with a smug smile. K.O.’s eyes went wide while Skylar kept a cooler expression, save for the small tint of pink on her cheeks.

“Uh, I-I can do this other cool thing!” K.O. piped up, practically jumping into a power stance. He focused on a display of pickle jars, reeling his arm back for a punch.

“Fireball!” He cried, launching his arm forward. He stuck his fist out as far as it would go, straining in a desperate attempt to pull off the power move. Enid kept back a laugh as she and Skylar watched, but their fun was stopped short as a loud crash sounded and Colewort fell through the ceiling, falling on the pickle jar display and destroying it.

“Oh, man.” Enid muttered as she leapt up, flipping over K.O.’s head and landing next to the shattered mess. Pickles and pickle juice were now splattered on the floor, along with a broken table and a battered Colewort.

“I fell.” He mumbled weakly.

“Yep, I can see that, Colewort.” Enid replied flatly, kneeling down to pick up the still intact jars. 

“Oh! I-I can-!” K.O. tried to head over, only for Skylar to grab him and pull him back.

“Whoa there, K.O.” She said, kneeling down next to him. “Look, I know you want to help and get a job here, but I think it‘d be best if you let me and Enid handle this one.” K.O.’s expression dropped, looking at Skylar with sad eyes.

“But, I can help, too!” He insisted. Skylar frowned briefly, but regained a small smile and ruffled his hair.

“I know you can.” She said reassuringly. “But trust me, it’d be better if you just stay here, okay?” Before K.O. could even respond, Skylar got to her feet and headed over to Enid, leaving him alone by the counter. 

“Here, let me.” Skylar caught Enid’s attention as she spoke, waving her hand and gathering up the spilt pickle juice. Enid watched before letting out a sigh of relief, getting to her feet and helping Colewort up.

“Thanks, Sky.” She said. “Rad, need a broom over here.” Skylar chuckled in response, gathering the juice into a ball and freezing it solid. K.O. saw an opportunity in that, rushing over while Skylar wasn’t looking.

“Skylar! Let me!” He cried, grabbing the ice ball and trying to pull it from her grip. The sudden action caught Skylar off guard, causing her to fumble and lose her hold. K.O. tried to keep a grip, however the ball proved to be a lot slipperier than he thought.

“I got it, I got it, I-“ He tried to hold on, but Skylar was quick to take it back from him, hovering it out of his reach.

“K.O., I told you to wait by the register.” She said sternly. “I know you want to help, but if you had dropped this, one of us could’ve slipped and gotten hurt! Now please, just stay out of the way and let us handle this.” She turned her back before K.O. could respond, and just as the small boy opened his mouth, Rad showed up with a broom and moved in front of him.

“Clear the way, kid.” He said, only half-paying attention to him. K.O.’s heart sank as he stepped away, trudging over to the bodega doors and heading outside. 

_‘Man...Rad, Enid, and Skylar are on another level.’_ He thought glumly, making his way over to a patch of grass and sitting down. _‘I wanna work with them so bad, but I can’t even do a cool power move.’_ He laid back and looked up at the clouds, watching them slowly float past.

_‘There’s gotta be some way I can convince them to give me a chance.’_ His mind continued. _‘Maybe if I bring them a giant cake, or let them hold my rarest POW cards. Or, what if I wore a baseball cap backwards? That’s cool, right?’_

“Excuse me,” a voice cut in, “I couldn’t help but notice your...unemployment.” K.O. turned his head to see who was talking, finding an orange woman with purple hair and bright red lipstick smeared on her mouth. Her hair seemed to be slipping somehow, but K.O. hardly paid attention to it.

“You know, these days, if you wanna work at a place like Gar’s, you gotta do something _really_ special.” The stranger continued. K.O. sat up, gaining a semi-confused look.

“What, like a resume?” He asked. The stranger shook her head.

“No no no, I’m talking more like...” she paused briefly, “...sneaking into Lord Boxman’s lair, and maybe, like, defeating him all by yourself.” K.O. paused for a moment as he thought it over, his eyes slowly growing wider.

“That’s...actually a good idea.” He said. “So good that Rad and Enid will have to hire me, and be my friends!” He leapt to his feet and turned in the direction of the factory, quickly running toward it.

“Thanks for the help, ominous stranger!” He called over his shoulder. “You’re the best!” He didn’t hear anything in response as he kept running, reaching the crosswalk and dashing over to Boxmore. He ran up to the factory doors, which opened with a small hiss, and entered the large, robot-filled building.

“Whoa.” He muttered, scanning the room before him. There were several Darrells working throughout the factory, though K.O. noticed one in particular standing guard next to a door.

“All right, a sneaking mission.” He said in a serious tone, before proceeding to mutter ‘sneak’ with every move he made. He tiptoed past one group of bots, rolling out of another’s way before rushing through the door in the back. The Darrell standing guard apparently didn’t notice, as he didn’t chase or even try to stop K.O.

“Perfect stealth.” He told himself. As he continued down the hall, he saw two identical purple robots talking to each other, causing him to stop in his tracks.

_‘I gotta get past them.’_ He thought. _‘I need something. Something like...’_ his eyes wandered to an empty cardboard box, _‘...a disguise!’_ He snatched the box and put it on his head, changing his walk to a more robotic one.

“Beep! Beep, blorp, boop, morp!” He said. Both robots watched him for a moment, looking confused before turning back to each other.

“Should we be offended by that?” One of them muttered. K.O. didn’t even notice, tossing the box aside and continuing out to a large platform in the centre of the factory. Seeing nowhere else to go, he stopped running, looking around quickly to see if any robots were in the area.

“Wow, if getting in was this easy,” K.O. said proudly to himself, “then beating up this Box fella should be as easy as a slice of sweet potato pie!” Before he could move, however, the floor suddenly dropped out from under him and a table shot up, catching the small boy and locking him down by his wrists and ankles.

“Sweet potato pie, was it?” A voice spoke, drawing K.O.’s attention. He looked up to see a large man looking down at him from a floating desk, his left eye gleaming bright red and cybernetic.

“W-Who are you?” K.O. managed nervously. The man’s evil smirk didn’t falter. 

“Is it not obvious?” He replied. K.O. paused, looking around nervously.

_‘Shoot, what was it again?’_ He tried to remember. _‘Buttman?’_

“Lord Boxman!” The evil scientist cried, snapping K.O. out of his thoughts. He was leaning over his desk now, a twisted grin on his face before he sat back again.

“I’ve had my eye on you, you know.” He told the small boy. “I see you’ve got yourself a little _friendship_ going with that water girl and those two goons from Gar’s.” 

“Friendship?” K.O. echoed.

“Yes, and it’s disgusting!” Lord Boxman snapped. “I hate it, and I want it destroyed!” K.O. felt worry creeping up on him, but he couldn’t stop the word ‘friendship’ from bouncing around in his head.

“I mean, Skylar’s like a big sister to me, but...” he looked up at the villain, “...you really think Rad and Enid want to be my friends?” There was a hopeful gleam in his eyes, one that made Boxman’s face turn sour.

“Oh, I don’t think _any_ of them will want to be your friends now.” He replied with a malicious tone. He hit a button on his desk, causing a holographic screen to appear in front of K.O. There, he could see live footage of Rad, Enid, and Skylar all rushing to the factory with angry looks on their faces.

“They found out you came here, K.O.” Boxman told him. “And they’re clearly seething with rage at having to waste their time rescuing a _nuisance_ like you!” K.O.’s hopeful look was quickly replaced by fear and guilt, watching the three of them until Boxman hit the same button and the screen vanished.

“They weren’t supposed to come get me.” He said, clenching his fists. “I was going to beat you and prove my worth!” 

“All you did was fall into my trap!” Boxman exclaimed. K.O.’s body started to shake, his arms tugging at the restraints.

“No!” He grunted, trying to escape. Boxman’s wicked grin was ear-to-ear.

“Yes!” He countered. “And, after this little stunt, they’re gonna beat you up!”

“No!” K.O. cried.

“And then,” Boxman continued, “they’ll never want anything to do with you ever again!” 

“NOOOO!” K.O.’s scream echoed through the factory, causing the three heroes inside to stop dead in their tracks.

“K.O.!” Skylar cried. “Rad, Enid, you two head down that hall. It’ll take you straight to him.”

“What about you?” Enid asked. Skylar’s gaze turned dark.

“I’ll be taking a different route.” She told them. “But trust me, I’ll be there.” Before either of them could say anything, Skylar turned and bolted down a different corridor, leaving Rad and Enid no choice but to continue on.

“Well, it looks like Miss All-That has changed her mind.” Boxman said, watching them through his holo-screen again. “But no matter, Prince Peach Fuzz and the Sarcasm Queen are heading right this way.” K.O. glanced around nervously, not sure which direction the two teens would be coming from.

“Aw, getting scared?” Boxman mocked, noticing his behaviour. “You’re right to be. I mean, just look at what they do to those who get in their way.” He enlarged the screen for K.O. to see, showing footage of Rad and Enid destroying any robots that they come across. They were brutal, and the sight of it caused the small boy to whimper. 

“And since I’d hate to get in their way,” Boxman spoke again, “I’ll just put you between us.” He flipped a few switches on the underside of his desk, causing K.O.’s restraints to let go and the table to fall back through the floor. Having no time to react, K.O. hit the metal floor with a ‘thud,’ his body shaking and making it harder for him to get up. Boxman took that moment to move his floating desk to a darkened part of the room, keeping him out of sight of anyone who might enter.

“Blinds!” He called, causing a screen of blinds to drop in front of him. “Now to watch from the shadows, like a total creep.” 

“Mind if I join you?” A voice piped up behind him, catching him off guard. Before he had time to react, Skylar had pulled her leg back and kicked him square in the face, sending him crashing through the blinds and hitting the floor. K.O. looked up in surprise, seeing his big sister-figure leap out of the shadows and land right on top of the villain, pinning him to the ground.

“Wha-?! Skylar?!” He cried. Skylar looked up at his call, but before she could speak, Rad and Enid came rushing into the room with Rad heading straight for K.O.

“Ahh! I-I’m sorry’!” K.O. cried on instinct, still thinking they were mad at him. “I promise I won’t get in your way again!” Rad didn’t even slow down, rushing up to the small boy before scooping him up into a big hug.

“K.O.!” He exclaimed in relief. “Dude, we’re so glad you’re safe!” There was a brief moment of silence from K.O., as he had to let things process in his mind.

“Wait, you guys aren’t mad at me?” He asked nervously. 

“Mad at you?” Enid said as she walked up. “We came here to save you!” 

“But, why would you want to save a nuisance like me?” K.O. said, his tone growing disheartened. Skylar’s gaze immediately went from Boxman to K.O.

“Wait, what?” She said in surprise. “Who ever said you were a nuisance?” K.O. pointed at Lord Boxman, to which all three teens looked down at him. 

“Will you get off of me already?!” Boxman snapped, struggling to push Skylar off of him. It seemed that despite being smart enough to make robots, the villain wasn’t very strong. Skylar didn’t listen, instead pushing down harder to keep him in place.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” She told him, her voice turning cold. “You tricked my little brother, tormented him, and made him believe he was a nuisance. You’re not getting away with that.” Boxman’s anger turned to fear as he was suddenly grabbed by his coat collar and pulled to his feet. Since Skylar was much taller than him, he was forced to stand on his tiptoes, struggling in the teen’s grip.

“Put me down!” He hollered. “I’ll destroy all of you, and your disgusting little friendship!” 

“Oh, so you don’t like friendship, huh?” Skylar mocked, not letting him go. “Well then, I guess we’ll just have to teach you a lesson, by beating you up together as friends!” She looked up at Rad and Enid, who both gained looks of determination.

“Sounds good to me!” Enid said, taking a fighting stance.

“Ready to rumble!” Rad added, holding K.O. in one arm while flexing the other. Skylar’s smile widened as she turned her gaze to K.O., who was sitting quietly in Rad’s arm.

“What about you, K.O.?” She asked. The small boy blinked in surprise. 

“Me?” He echoed. “Y-You want me to help?”

“Of course!” Skylar replied. “You came here to beat him up, didn’t you? Might as well finish the job!” K.O.’s expression soon changed to a determined grin as he jumped out of Rad’s arms, landing in a fighting stance.

“Okay!” He called. Skylar grinned and looked back at Boxman, who glared at her for a moment before she took his coat with both hands and heaved him up. He flailed in the air when Skylar landed another hard kick, sending him flying over to Enid. 

“Heads up, E!” She called. Enid was already in a fighting stance, firing off a flaming kick that collided with Boxman and sent him straight up.

“Rad!” Enid turned and hollered to the blue alien, who leapt into action. He pointed a finger at Lord Boxman, sending a beam of pink energy out and catching the villain in it. Once he was trapped, Rad pulled back and twisted himself around, which in turn pulled Boxman back and sent him straight back for the platform.

“All yours, K.O.!” He called. K.O.’s eyes went wide for a moment, the whole scene suddenly moving in slow motion.

_‘This is it!’_ He thought, taking a battle stance. _‘I can’t mess this up; this is my one shot to prove myself as a hero!’_ Reeling his arm back, he kept his eyes locked on Boxman, waiting until just the right moment.

“Power punch!” He cried, launching his fist at the villain. He punched Lord Boxman square in the face, which sent the man stumbling back until he hit his desk and fell to the ground.

“I...I did it!” K.O. said proudly, almost worried this was another dream. “I really did it!”

“Heck yeah you did!” Skylar praised, walking over to ruffle his hair. Rad and Enid moved in as well, both of them smiling in support.

“That was a pretty nice punch, K.O.!” Enid told him, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

“Yeah!” Rad agreed. “Way to stick it to the Buttman!” K.O.’s heart swelled at their compliments, so much so that none of them noticed Lord Boxman slowly getting to his feet.

“That...that’s impossible.” He grunted. “It seems I’ve only made their friendship stronger!” Letting out an annoyed growl, he reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a remote with a big, purple button on it. 

“I’ll have to take care of them later.” He said darkly, pointing the remote at the four heroes and hitting the button. Before any of them could react, the floor rose up around them, folding into a giant box and trapping them inside. Seconds later, the box fell through the platform, passing through a glowing purple portal that opened in the sky above Lakewood Plaza. Many people scattered at the sight, some watching in fear as the iconic Boxmore box fell through and crashed onto the pavement.

“More interlopers?!” Mr. Gar growled angrily, stepping out of the bodega. He readied himself for a fight, but as the box fell open, it was revealed that Skylar, Enid, Rad, and K.O. were the ones inside. Most of the civilians calmed at the sight, though some were disappointed that there wasn’t going to be another fight. As soon as Mr. Gar saw them, he walked up with a stern look on his face, his glasses gleaming from the sunlight and hiding his eyes.

“Why aren’t you two at your posts?!” He shouted, staring down Rad and Enid. The two teens gained worried looks, but Skylar merely raised an eyebrow.

“We were out rescuing Brushhead here, sir!” Enid replied quickly, holding K.O. up in front of him. Mr. Gar paused for a moment.

“Oh, okay.” He said calmly before picking up his stern tone again. “Now send him home and get back to work!”

“Aww, can’t we keep him?” Enid tried, holding K.O. a little higher. “He’s probably really good at cleaning toilets.” 

“He’s pretty much plaza material.” Rad chimed in. “And...we could use the extra help.” 

“No.” Gar said flatly. All three teens gained shocked expressions.

“What?!” They cried in unison.

“We don’t need any more employees!” Gar snapped. “You two just need to quit slacking so much. Besides,” he turned on his heel, “a recommendation from the two of you means squat.”

“Hold up.” Skylar finally spoke, stopping Mr. Gar from walking away. “Just to be clear; you’re saying ‘no’ to letting this kid work at the bodega.” Mr. Gar looked over his shoulder, seeing Skylar staring him down with her usual raised eyebrow look. Rad, Enid, and K.O. were all quiet, watching the scene carefully as they hadn’t seen anyone stand up to Mr. Gar like that.

“Exactly.” Gar replied curtly. Skylar folded her arms, letting out a long sigh.

“Alright then,” she said, turning in the direction of the dojo, “guess I’ll just have to tell Carol that you turned her _only son_ away from his _dream_ job. But hey, you made your choice.” A coy smile spread across her features as she started to walk away, leaving Mr. Gar completely frozen. His body trembled slightly as he muttered under his breath, his gaze darting between K.O. and Skylar.

“Okay, fine!” He called at last. “He can have the job!” Skylar stopped walking, turning around with an ear-to-ear grin.

“Thank you!” She said sweetly. Just in that moment, the door to the dojo opened behind the hybrid, and Carol stepped out into the lot.

“Oh hey, Skylar!” She said. “What’s going on out here?” 

“Hey, Carol!” Skylar turned to face her, still smiling. “Mr. Gar actually just gave K.O. a job at his bodega!”

“He did?” Carol’s eyes went to Mr. Gar, who became frozen in place once more. “Well, that’s real nice of him!” Mr. Gar could only stammer in response, his face growing hot as he started to sweat. Carol merely shrugged it off, turning her gaze to K.O.

“Congrats, sweetie!” She told him, starting to walk off. “I’ll meet you in the car, okay?” K.O., who had remained silent the whole time, was standing there in stunned silence.

“What...just happened?” He managed at last. Enid, Rad, and Skylar all looked down at him with soft smiles.

“I think,” Enid said, pulling out an employee vest, “you just got hired.” She quickly put the vest on him, and K.O. found it fit perfectly.

“Yeah, we ran out of crop tops.” Rad admitted. K.O. didn’t notice, let alone care, his eyes shining in delight as he looked at his new vest.

“I did it!” He shouted in glee, pumping a fist in the air. There was a sudden glow of blue light that appeared on his hand, shooting up into the air and hitting the clouds before appearing as a floating peace hand. All three teens stared at it in awe, the action catching them completely off-guard.

“Whoa, K.O.,” Rad said at last, “I didn’t know you could do that.” The small boy was so busy fawning over his vest, he ended up looking at him in confusion.

“Do what?”


End file.
